Tuesday, April 29, 2014

I never hesitate when Zita Swoon (or Zita Swoon Group as they are called nowadays) release a new album. I buy it.

"New Old World", however, did surprise me. First of all, it's an instrumental album. And second, it's the soundtrack of a production that included movies, theater and dance.
It still has the Zita Swoon groove, but it does sound a bit odd at times.
I've never seen the actual production, so I can't lose the feeling that I'm missing something. I read somewhere that an added picture book would have been nice. Or a DVD.

Still, this is not bad. This is not bad at all.
But it will need another couple of listening sessions.

Lowlands is an Antwerp-based Belgian distributor / record-label.
Their first sampler, entitled "Everything Is Low, 15 Highlights From Lowlands" presented quite a number of fine tracks.
Besides the Fukkeduk track, this album is most noteworthy because of the included Palinckx track. 'The Psychedelic Years Phase Two (Pink Floyd)' was recorded live by NOS-radio on the Dutch Jazz Marathon in Groningen. It has only been released on this sampler.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

17 Hippies are a rock/folk band from Berlin, Germany. They perform songs in German, in English, and in French.
"Phantom Songs" includes an excellent version of Don Van Vliet's 'Gimme Dat Harp Boy'.
Sounds very jazzy. Nice instrumentation. Tom Waits comes to mind...

Sony Records rleased a box with 15 CDs, collecting all Joe Satriani's studio albums up until today.All the discs are in cardboard sleeves. The details can be found in the booklet.And disc number 15 presents the bonus tracks. 16 bonus tracks.

Quite a package.
And a fine opportunity to add a bunch of album data to Joe Satriani's entry over at the United Mutations Archives.

We're getting spoiled, my friends.
We're only four months in 2014 and Zappa's music is more alive then ever: various people, bands and ensembles are performing and recording Frank Zappa's music. It seems like the world is finally catching up (although that might be a deceiving presumption).

"Rare Episodes" is one of these gems.
I mentioned the album a little while ago, but I really have to draw your attention to it again.

"A CD conceived by Andrew Greenaway of The Idiot Bastard website and author of "Zappa the Hard Way" (the definitive account of Frank's last tour). The idea was that some of the world's foremost Zappa-influenced bands would record thirteen Zappa compositions that he either didn't record, didn't release or, if he did, he changed them quite a lot first."

Here's track 10, once more :10. ROLLO by Chato Segerer
Officially released in instrumental form only on the albums Imaginary Diseases, Apostrophe, QuAUDIOPHILIAc and You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1. In 1972, the piece has the lyrics presented here. (This version also appends the rare 'Village Of The Sun' intro/outro that appeared on the recent Road Tapes, Venue #2 release.)

You might recall that a little while ago, the Zappa Family Trust offered a license for the "Roxy By Proxy" album.
At first, I thought that some freaks would pay the 1.000 US $ just to put the "Roxy By Proxy" CD master in a frame and on their wall, but it seems that some of the people that went along with the ZFT on this endeavor are actually producing copies.

As far as I understand it, the licencees are only allowed to change the CD label. All the other artwork has to remain the same.

Saturday April 19 celebrated Record Store Day 2014.Record Store Day is all about independently owned record stores with special releases, concerts and much more.

One of the releases that did not make it to Belgium, was the Ozit Records' "Don Van Vliet and The Magic Band : Son Of Dust Sucker - The Roger Eagle Tapes".
It's a vinyl release of a part of the "Son Of Dust Sucker" CD that Ozit put out in 2012.The 2012 CD presented the recordings of the tape of the original and Zappa-produced Bat Chain Puller album that Don Van Vliet had sent to promoter Roger Early some 40 years ago, plus some bonus live material.This 2014 vinyl version only includes the 12 Bat Chain Puller tracks.
Limited edition of 1000 copies.
On purple vinyl.

Why they call it a Don Van Vliet release and not a Captain Beefheart one, is beyond my comprehension.
I do like the artwork, however.
By Steve 'Jacuzzi' Hardstaff.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Mauro Pawlowski is going strong. Earlier this year, he released "Sincerely Average" with his Hitsville Drunks band. In the meantime, he's doing concerts with Flat Earth Society, performing "Terms Of Embarrassment", and more recently, he released "Neutral Village Massacre" with his Gruppo Di Pawlowski project.

Experimental and exhilarating.
Exaclty my cup of tea.

The below snippet has Gruppo Di Pawlowski performing at the Studio Brussel radio station.
They're bringing 'Jonge Helden', originally by Arbeid Adelt!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

For "Lines", Jean-Pierre Jonckheere (mastermind of Les Boucles Absurdes) asked four collegues to rework, reconstruct and remix the music of Les Boucles Absurdes.
The result is quite fascinating
Seesayle takes the mysterious approach. Subdued vocals and eastern elements make her contribution a perfect and impressive start.
Pierre Vervloesem continues with a (re)mix that adds powerful beats and enchanting guitar lines. Great.
Next up is Clémentine Collette (also know as DJ Clémix). This must be the club / dub version. A great beat with a fine bass line. Nice. Very nice.
The final 'Line' is drawn by Gilles Mortiaux. Gilles remix begins rather spooky and chaotic, and slowly turns into a rock song. Almost. Beautiful layers.

The funny thing is that these four different remixes and approaches fit together very well.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Alan Jenkins and the Thurston Lave Tube play surf music.
"The Poodle Collector" presents a couple of original tunes, plus a bunch of superb coverversions.
The collection also includes fine versions of Zappa's 'Mr.Green Genes' (originally published on "Lemme Take You To The Beach") and 'The Idiot Bastard Son' (taken from "20 Extraordinary Renditions").

Here's the Thurston Lave Tube's version of 'Surf Rider' (from the 2005 "The Pink Elephant..." album)

Monday, April 14, 2014

There is a new Cordelia Records CD - as usual
available from the record shop page at www.cordeliarecords.co.uk and CD Baby in
the fullness of time.

This is another Frank Zappa related one that was
organised in conjunction with the people at http://www.idiotbastard.com/ - it's
a collection of new recordings of unreleased Zappa compositions.

"Rare Episodes"

Frank Zappa's unmined nuggets

New recordings of compositions he didn't get round to
recording himself.

A CD conceived by Andrew Greenaway of The Idiot
Bastard website and author of "Zappa the Hard Way" (the definitive
account of Frank's last tour). The idea was that some of the world's foremost
Zappa-influenced bands would record thirteen Zappa compositions that he either
didn't record, didn't release or, if he did, he changed them quite a lot first.

These are the tracks:

1. VARIANT #1 by Zappa Early Renaissance Orchestra

One of a number of pieces Frank wrote "must
record" - see The MOFO Project/Object booklet - and then actually did: at
TTG Studios in Hollywood on 10 June 1966, during sessions for the Burt Ward
single Boy Wonder I Love You.

2. FALLING IN
LOVE IS A STUPID HABIT by The Vegetarians

A song Frank denied knowing, yet a tape exists of him
demonstrating it to drummer Jimmy Carl Black. Jimmy told The Idiot Bastard that
Frank said he "could have the song and we even discussed the instruments
that would sound good on it. It was Frank playing the piano in his studio with
Andy Cahan and me there. The year was 1981 and I was in California rehearsing
for the first Grandmothers tour of Europe."

3. BOGNOR
REGIS by Jerry Outlaw & Friends

An instrumental originally recorded during the Hot
Rats sessions in 1969, and intended to be released as the b-side of a single
version of 'Sharleena' that never happened.

In September 1974, shortly before it became 'Can't
Afford No Shoes' on One Size Fits All, Frank's lyrics poked fun at drummer
Ralph Humphrey.

5. MICE by
Evil Dick

According to Frank, the first thing he ever composed:
"a piece for snare drum...I wrote that when I was about 14 and performed
it at school."

6. PORTUGUESE
LUNAR LANDING by Fuchsprellen

Performed live during the 1975 Bongo Fury tour, and
rehearsed by the 1981 band, but like all of these songs, not officially
released thus far.

7. MO'S VACATION
by Marc Atkinson

An early version of 'Mo 'N Herb's Vacation' in a basic
arrangement, described by drummer Terry Bozzio as "like 'The Black Page',
but more of it!" Performed live with Vinnie Colaiuta and Arthur Barrow in
1978, Chad Wackerman told The Idiot Bastard he also "did a studio
recording for Frank."

8. CLOWNS ON
VELVET by Lex Bronkowitz Orchestra

First performed at New York's Ritz Theatre in November
1981, with special guest Al DiMeola on lead guitar. Frank then added studio
overdubs to a fragment of this live recording and had the Thing-Fish rap over
it.

9. LITTLE DOTS
by Gumbo Variation

An instrumental similar to 'Approximate', only ever
performed live by the Petit Wazoo in 1972.

10. ROLLO by Chato Segerer

Officially released in instrumental form only on the
albums Imaginary Diseases, Apostrophe, QuAUDIOPHILIAc and You Can't Do That On
Stage Anymore Vol. 1. In 1972, the piece has the lyrics presented here. (This
version also appends the rare 'Village Of The Sun' intro/outro that appeared on
the recent Road Tapes, Venue #2 release.)

11. BRUTALITY by Neither Beasts, Nor Gods

A Synclavier composition from a cassette titled
Resolver + Brutality that Frank handed to someone he'd had an 'intensive
artistic relationship' with for several years.

12. VELVET SUNRISE by Spanner Jazz Punks

Another piece performed live during the 1975 Bongo
Fury tour, providing Frank with an opportunity to tell various tales about life
on the road.

13. WE ARE NOT ALONE by ZAPPATiKA

The instrumental track on The Man From Utopia album
had these lyrics when rehearsed by the 1981 band.

Other Zappa related CDs available from Cordelia are
"Lemme Take You To The Beach" (The Surf instrumental bands of the
word perform the tunes of Frank Zappa) - and three previous collaborations with
the Idiot Bastard web site: "20 Extraordinary Renditions" (of the
song "The Idiot Bastard Son"), "21 Burnt Weeny Sandwiches"
(21 condensed versions of the Burnt Weeny Sandwich album) and "On
Broadway: Covers Of Invention" (Zappaesque versions of other people's
songs covered by Zappa on the '88 tour).

Nicholas Greenwood's "Cold Cuts" album is one of these hard-to-find early seventies gems.
Re-released in 2004 on the Akarma label, both on CD and LP, the album is getting another reissue on the Kismet label.

Dutch prog metal/rock artist / producer / guitar player Arjen Lucassen's "Lost In The New Real" is an excellent concept album. Arjen doesn't hide his influences. There are lots of musicial references to Pink Floy, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin,...Very enjoyable.
Arjen's version of Frank Zappa's 'I'm The Slime' fits in perfectly.

david moss and hannes strobl: at the beach - music for voice and electric bass (2014, cd, poland, monotype rec)

Somewhere in 1992, David Moss was part of the Markus Stauss Project. He can be heard on Stauss' "New Duos And Trios" album.

June 2000, I saw David Moss performing with the Ensemble Modern as a part of the Holland 2000 Festival. It was the "Greggery Peccary & Other Persuasions" program that toured Europe and that eventually got released on an album by the Ensemble Modern.
More recently, February 2011, David took part in another concert where he performed Zappa's music with the PMCE.

Anyway, the Polish record label Monotype Rec. just released "At The Beach : Music For Voice And Electric Bass" where David Moss teams up with Hannes Strobl.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Lee Santa started going to jazz concert in the 1960's.He started taking pictures at concerts around 1967 and boy am I glad that he has such a good taste in music.

"A Journey into Jazz" has Lee talking about his love for jazz.In his introduction, Lee mentions his fascination for the esoteric and elaborates on Gurdjieff's concepts of subjective and objective art. Things that I have to investigate.
As for his journey, there's a bunch of fine pictures of fabulous artists in his book: Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Rollins, and many more, spiced with anecdotes and memories.

If you're familiar with Sun Ra's "Live At The Red Garter" (Transparency 0319) you must have seen Lee Santa's pictures. The album includes a disc with all of the photos that Lee took at those shows.

Thumbscrew is Michael Formanek (double bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums) and Mary Halvorson (guitar).
On their eponymous debut album, eacht member of the trio offers 3 compositions which adds up to 9 excellent compositions.
Modern jazz at its best.

Two years ago, Dane Runyon released "Looking Below", a nice album that featured Mike Keneally and Marco Minnemann.
Dave is back with a second album and he's keeping the tradition of inviting fascinating guests. This time Bryan Beller and Jeff Campitelli added bass and drums to most of the tracks.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

I got introduced to Susan Clynes through The Wrong Object's "After The Exhibition" album where she sang "Glass Cubes". It's a beautiful composition. Written by Antoine Guenet and performed by The Wrong Object with Susan Clynes guesting on vocals.

Susan also participated to the CD-release-concert in Liège. A nice surprise. And she did a great job.

"Life Is..." is her international debut. Out on the MoonJune Records label where she's in the excellent company of douBt, Machine Mass, The Wrong Object and Sh*tg*n. It seems like Leonardo Pavkovic and his MoonJune Records label has a sweet spot for Belgian talent.

The tracks on "Life Is..." were collected from three live performances. Besides Susan Clynes (vocals and piano), the first of these concerts featured Nico Chkifi (drums) and Pierre Mottet (bass); the second one was a solo gig, and the third one featured Simon Lenski (cello) of DAAU (Die Anarchistische Abundunterhaltung).
In all, a fine mixture of endearing compositions, presenting a new and beautiful voice in the musical landscape.

BurningShed.com has long been a deeply respected online portal for the
works of King Crimson, Steven Wilson and many other progressive acts, so we at
Exowax were delighted to learn that they were interested in carrying some of my
work (Andy Partridge was kind enough to pass along word to us of their
interest). The upshot of this is the brand new Mike Keneally Store at Burning
Shed. At present they are carrying three of the newer releases. This is great
news for us as it's an honor to be on such a highly-regarded site, and also
great news for any Europe-based Keneally fans who have fallen foul of the
increasingly punitive postage rates required to get product mailed from the US.
I'm delighted to be a part of the Burning Shed family now.https://www.burningshed.com/store/mikekeneally/

The latest materialization on Don Preston's Brain Records is a recording of the Bunk Gardner / Don Preston duo.
These guys have been playing together ever since they were in The Mothers Of Invention. Their most recent entanglement was in The GrandMothers.

The Don And Bunk Show.
Their third album.
All three were published by Don Preston on his Brain Records label.

don and
bunk:

don preston: keyboards, vocals

bunk gardner: saxaphone, flue & bass
clarinet

produced
by don preston

all
compositions by don preston

1.
sweet 15

2.
amsterdam

3. how
are you doing

4.
milky way

5. new
age mumbo jumbo

6. solo
piece

7. eyes
of the dead

8.
progress

9.
barbeque solos

10. not
so cute

11. i
can't breathe

12. horta babies

Here's Don and Bunk in quite another adventure: jamming with The Muffin Men (in 1993 !!)

Having
done two "research mission" performances in San Diego and Los Angeles
last month, the trio of Keneally-Bendian-Lunn will now apply the lessons learnt
to a slate of performances in May 2014. A scant few weeks from now. We'll begin
in Nashville (5/15), then move on to St. Louis, Chicago, Greenwood, Columbus,
Baltimore, NYC, Long Island, Philly, Dunellen, Cambridge, Charleston, and wind
up at a festival in Scottsville, KY (5/31).

I think
we as a trio really began to gel as a unit during the second set at the Baked
Potato recently - things got severely powerful and I am excited to continue
along that line with Gregg and Doug, two of the more forward-thinking and
adventurous musicians I've ever encountered.

Also,
it's great fun to return to the world of the trio, which was my preferred mode
of performance when I started doing shows under my own name in the early '90s
and throughout most of that decade. I've loved being able to do more
orchestrated things with larger ensembles in the years since then, and will
continue to do so in the future no doubt, but have to admit that there's
something about a trio which is incredibly liberating and special to me.

Sub
Rosa recently released the debut album of Oiseaux-Tempête, an French ensemble
that consists of Frédéric D.Oberland (guitar), Stéphane Pigneul (bass) and Ben
McConnell (percussion).

If
you're in to experimental, floating soundscapes, you need to check this out.

from
the Sub Rosa website:OISEAUX-TEMPÊTE is an
instrumental, free rock & ambient trio formed in Paris in 2012 by
musicians Frédéric D. Oberland, Stéphane Pigneul [both members of FareWell
Poetry and Le Réveil des Tropiques] and Ben Mc Connell [Beach House, Rain
Machine, Au Revoir Simone, Marissa Nadler].
On their self-titled debut album, they intertwine their creative process
with the work of French photographer and filmmaker Stéphane C, who has
documented the existential conflicts brought on by the political and economic
turmoil in Greece, resulting an emotionally charged vision and eliciting
visceral response to the floundering failures of the dysfunctional West.

"Alternating
moments of inexorable tension and luminous respite, the Oiseaux-Tempête's
debut album takes flight and slowly
unfolds in an implacable ascension, the rich photographic contributions fleshing out the poetic narrative.
Oiseaux-Tempête's first release is carrying us beyond the stoner, free rock and
experimental labels. How can music voice the violence and confusion that fuels
discontent and protest? Oiseaux-Tempête offers an answer to this
question." SUB ROSA